Qualifications and Affiliations

Experience in one to one coaching

Experience

Dervilla has extensive experience of coaching School Leaders and Principals on the CSL coaching programme over the last 2 years. Feedback from her clients has been consistently in the excellent range. Dervilla also works with third level educational institutions such as the Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin. She has a genuine understanding of the range of issues and challenges faced by education leaders. With empathy for the client’s position and an unbiased perspective, she collaborates with them to develop and enhance their leadership capacity.

Dervilla combines coaching expertise with more than twenty-five years of experience as a senior leader across a range of companies and she is highly experienced in planning and implementing strategy, organisational visioning, staff development initiative, performance management and change management

Dervilla works with Principals to define their goals, helps them understand perceived obstacles, develop action plans and maintains commitment by regularly tracking progress. Dervilla has a particular expertise in the following areas:

• Prioritising an overwhelming workload

• Managing Performance

• Conflict Management – moving from conflict to co-operation

• New Role Transition

• Influencing Skills

Dervilla draws on solution-focused coaching and positive psychology to provide positive and practical support to Principals, so clients define their goals and obstacles in a positive way. Dervilla works collaboratively with clients a structured manner to break down tasks and challenges into manageable steps. Feedback from Dervilla's clients and the outcomes they have achieved as a result of her coaching are consistently in the excellent range.

Testimonials

“Coaching with Dervilla supported me to develop ways to manage my time more efficiently. The coaching service highlighted for me the importance of being in control of my time and to delegate more. It highlighted my strengths as a leader and gave me the confidence to use my strengths. Most of all, the coaching renewed my belief in myself as a good leader and provided clarification on HR issues I am dealing with.”

School Principal

“Coaching helped me manage my time better and to develop new work practices and habits. Coaching sessions I had with Dervilla helped me cope with and manage challenging situations better, such as the start of the new school year. I enjoyed the sessions and they helped me address some of my weaker points and I'm working on those now. I'm also focusing more on time for 'myself' and trying to improve my work-life balance so I don't feel 'burnout'. The sessions helped my confidence and reassured my belief in myself.”

School Principal

“My Executive Coaching sessions with Dervilla enabled me to re-gain momentum at a time when I was experiencing a crisis of confidence. Dervilla helped to define my key objectives, explore potential blockers and identify ways to overcome them. She has an ability to probe for what is really important, breaking down tasks into manageable steps and provides practical examples of how to implement change and adopt different approaches. Dervilla has had a marked impact on my leadership performance and mindset and I would not hesitate in recommending her to anyone considering Executive Coaching.”